Australian native flowering plants enhance the longevity of three parasitoids of brassica pests |
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Authors: | Sunita Pandey Azizur Rahman Geoff M. Gurr |
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Affiliation: | 1. Graham Centre, Charles Sturt University, Orange, NSW, Australia;2. School of Computing and Mathematics, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia;3. State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China;4. Institute of Applied Ecology and Research Centre for Biodiversity and Eco‐Safety, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China;5. Fujian‐Taiwan Joint Innovation Centre for Ecological Control of Crop Pests, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China |
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Abstract: | Floral resources from native plants that are adapted to the local environment could be more advantageous than the use of nonnative plants. In Australia, there is a dearth of information on the benefits of native plants to natural enemies and their selectivity against pests. Accordingly, we examined the longevity of the parasitoids Diaeretiella rapae (McIntosh) and Cotesia glomerata (L.) (both Hymenoptera: Braconidae), and Diadegma semiclausum (Hellen) (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) exposed to flowering shoots from Australian native plants which was compared with the nonnative buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum), often used in conservation biological control. Longevity of parasitoids was significantly enhanced by the Australian natives Westringia fruticosa, Mentha satureioides, Callistemon citrinus, Leptospermum cv. ‘Rudolph’, Grevillea cv. ‘Bronze Rambler’, Myoporum parvifolium, Lotus australis, and nonnative F. esculentum. The highest mean survival by native plant species was 3.4× higher for D. rapae with Leptospermum sp. and 4.3× higher for D. semiclausum with M. parvifolium. For C. glomerata, Grevillea sp. increased longevity by 6.9× compared with water only. Longevity of Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), a major crop pest, was enhanced by all plants against which it was screened except Acacia baileyana, a species that had no effect on parasitoid longevity. Several Australian native plant species that benefit parasitoids were identified. None of the plant species provided a selective benefit to the parasitoid D. semiclausum compared with its host P. xylostella; however, the benefit of M. parvifolium and Grevillea sp. on the longevity of D. semiclausum was relatively higher compared with the pest. These results suggest the need for field studies to determine whether native Australian plants increase P. xylostella impact in nearby brassica crops. |
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Keywords: | nectar floral resource habitat management conservation biological control natural enemies
Diaeretiella rapae
Cotesia glomerata
Diadegma semiclausum
Plutella xylostella
diamondback moth Hymenoptera Lepidoptera |
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